Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 8.4%, acquiring an additional 6,609 shares, bringing its total ownership to approximately 0.17% of the company.
• Several institutional investors, including Teacher Retirement System of Texas and Mirae Asset Global Investments, have also modified their positions in Charles River Laboratories, contributing to nearly 99% of the stock being owned by institutional investors.
• Wall Street analysts have varying ratings on the stock, with TD Cowen upgrading it to a "buy" and setting a price target of $179.00, while Mizuho lowered its price target to $155.00 with a "neutral" rating.

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 8.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 85,048 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,609 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.17% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $12,801,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 480.0% during the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 174 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. HM Payson & Co. bought a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the 1st quarter worth $31,000. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 311.5% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 120.6% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 300 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.91% of the company's stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CRL traded down $0.62 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $167.30. 1,382,318 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 816,352. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.22 billion, a P/E ratio of -257.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 1.48. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $91.86 and a 52-week high of $234.90. The company has a 50-day moving average of $154.18 and a 200-day moving average of $149.47.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The medical research company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.28. Charles River Laboratories International had a positive return on equity of 15.19% and a negative net margin of 0.66%. The firm had revenue of $984.17 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $942.34 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.27 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Cowen raised Charles River Laboratories International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Charles River Laboratories International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $174.54.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In other news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.41, for a total transaction of $72,705.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,513 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,837,385.33. The trade was a 2.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc provides drug discovery, non-clinical development, and safety testing services in the United States, Europe, Canada, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Research Models and Services (RMS), Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA), and Manufacturing Solutions (Manufacturing).